


Undertale: Cruisin'

by ZanzaFlux



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Family, Friendship, Our favorite monsters on a cruise ship, this should be fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-01 15:16:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15776709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZanzaFlux/pseuds/ZanzaFlux
Summary: What happens when our favorite group of monsters from the Underground take a cruise for the very first time?  Why are they dragging a poor woman into their shenanigans?  How long will Undyne let Sans make fish puns before she tries to strange him?  You'll just have to find out.





	1. All Aboard!

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story about a year ago, but I didn't publish it because I got wrapped up in another fandom. I decided to go back to it recently. It's a fun little story that I wanted to finish it. I hope y'all enjoy this!

“Are you sure about this?  I can always cancel this trip.  I mean we did plan this together.”  A woman in her early thirties was studying a brochure for a seven day cruise to the Bahamas.  “It doesn’t feel right that I go without you.”  She had light brown hair done in spiky dreads. The tips had a purple tint to them.  She frowned slightly at the thought of her best friend not being able to go with her.“

Look Emma, it’s alright.  You know I’d go if I could, but I can’t.”  A young woman looked up from the paperwork she had clutched in her hands.  “With the big shake up at the company, it’s not a good idea for me to be taking off on vacation right now.  Until things cool down, I’m going to be working my butt off.”  She gave her friend a stern look.  She was ready to keep arguing with Emma to make sure she took that trip.

“Em, you need this trip.  After the year you’ve had, you need to relax.  Besides, you worked hard to pay for this and I see no reason to back out just because I can’t go.”   Emma placed the brochure back on the glass coffee table. She was sitting on her friend’s pastel blue couch looking miserable. She took her red rimmed glasses off and rubbed at her eyes tiredly.  Emma had been trying to convince her own family that she should just stay home, but they had told her she needed to get away for a few days and relax.

“Alright Marcy, I’ll go.  This is going to be the first time I’m going on a cruise by myself.”  She began rubbing her hands together nervously.  “I just hope I'll have a good time.”  She looked up when she heard Marcy snort and began to laugh.

“Girl, you’re going to have a great time! It’s like a party everyday on the ship.  People are either stuffing their faces with free food, drunk, or making out in the pools!”  Marcy smiles brightly.  “You can make a fool out of yourself and no one will even notice.  Hell, I bet you’ll be eyeing the hotties all day!”  Emma couldn’t help herself. She started to laugh along with her friend.

“I do feel better knowing you got some of your money back at least.  I should switch rooms though, maybe go for a single bed instead-”

Marcy was in her face so fast, it made her jump.  “Don’t you dare!  You know how cramped those single rooms are.  You’d be on the bottom floor and near the front of the ship, practically alone.  The double room you’re in is just fine and on the third floor.  There will be other couples walking about at least. You wont feel so lonely.”

Emma threw her hands up in mock surrender. “Ok ok, I get it. It was just a thought.  I promise, I wont change the room!”

“You better not.”  Marcy began to smirk before poking Emma's shoulder with her finger. “I want pictures, lots of them. And I want pictures of you on the beach or something. I know you. The ship will dock at the Islands and you wont get off. Go to the beach, take a tour, or go shopping. I don’t care, but get off the ship! I’m even going to make sure you pack a bathing suit too!”

“Oh come on Marcy!” Emma sunk further into the couch. She wasn’t exactly beach ready. She was very curvy and a little on the plump side. She couldn’t believe this.

Marcy stood in front of her with her hands on her hips. She raised a single manicured eyebrow with a look that said ‘Try me.’

Emma crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. “Fine!”

  
******** One Month Later ********

  
Emma stepped out of a taxi and onto Pear 34. She had a large suitcase on wheels behind her and a large carry on bag hanging from her shoulder. She was wearing a pastel pink tank top, tan Capri pants and brown gladiator style sandals. This wasn’t the first time she had taken a cruise, so she was pretty sure she had everything she needed. Her passport, her boarding pass, and tags on her luggage with her room number on them. This part of the trip always made her nervous though. So many people bustling to and fro. Whole families trying their hardest not to loose one another in the crowds and couples that can’t seem to keep their hands off of one another. _‘Probably newlyweds on their honeymoon._ ’ she thought with a small smile on her face.

Emma made her way to a large grey building where security checks were conducted. As she got closer, she notices there were a group of people just standing around. Their body language seemed stiff and they looked almost scared. As she got closer, Emma began to see what the commotion was about. There were a group of monsters there! It had been a few years since the monsters came down from Mt. Ebott to take their place among society. It was rough going at first. Hundreds of years of parents telling their kids to be scared of monsters, made it hard for them to be trusted.

The monsters had help though. A small human child. They spoke up for the monsters, letting everyone know that they weren’t dangerous and they just wanted to live in peace. It took a lot of hard work, but the monsters had formed their own community on the surface near the base of Mt. Ebott, and things began to calm down. This was the first time she got to see monsters face to face. They did look a little intimidating.

There were two very tall goat-like monsters standing near the front door. The female was wearing a white sundress with golden flowers printed on them. The male was wearing a tropical style shirt with beige cargo shorts on. Bother were surprisingly bare footed. There was a small child standing in front of them. They had on a dark blue and grey striped T-shirt and dark blue shorts. They had on cute blue and white sneakers. They seemed very excited. _‘It must be their first time on a cruise ship.’_

A short, yellow lizard-like monster in a solid green T-shirt and brown shorts was standing next to a very tall woman. She had bluish skin and flaming red hair done up in a pony tail. She had gills and long fins that stuck out the sides of her head. One eye was bright yellow while the other was covered by a black eye patch. Every time she spoke, she flashed a row of very scary, sharp teeth. She was wearing a bright red T-shirt with the words “ **BOSS** ” written across the chest area. She had on blue jeans that were torn around the knees and brown combat boots. She looked agitated because she kept waving her impressively muscular arms around and glaring at the people gawking at them. The yellow lizard seemed to be trying to calm her down. Didn’t look like it was working though.

  
Then Emma saw what appeared to be two skeletons. One was short and a little squat with what looked like a permanent grin on his face. He was wearing a blue hoodie and a white T-shirt underneath. He had on black shorts and light blue sneakers. He was leaning against the wall and looked like he was about to fall asleep. The other skeleton was very tall. He stood head and shoulders above most of the humans there. He was wearing a black T-shirt with the words “ **COOL DUDE** ” stitched onto the front in white lettering. He had on red gloves, a red scarf around his neck, and a pair of red and gold boots over a pair of skinny jeans. He was speaking very loudly. Emma could hear him all the way where she was. Plus every time he spoke, the people around him would flinch slightly.

‘ _Oh boy, this is going to be an interesting trip._ ’ she thought as she got closer to the building. She weaved her way through the crowd. Emma silently cursed at them for just standing around and staring at the monsters. She was so intent on making her way through the crowd of onlookers, that she didn’t see where she was going, and bumped right into the tall fish women. It was like hitting a brick wall. Emma was surprised and wanted to apologize but the woman turned on her. She looked really angry and frankly, it scared her half to death. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to-”

“HEY PUNK! WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING!” The red head had both of her fists balled up and she was looming over Emma as though she was going to hit her.

Emma gasped and backed up a little too quickly. She tripped over the large suitcase that she had been pulling behind her. She landed on her butt and was looking up at the red headed woman with a mixture of shock and fear. Truthfully, the woman looked just as surprised as Emma. She even began to reach out to her and that made Emma try to scoot back even more.

Before She could scramble back further, something hard wrapped around her waist and hauled her up onto her feet. She looked down to see a skeletal arm holding her to make sure she had her balance. After a few seconds, it let go, and she turned to see who it was. It was the tall skeleton!

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT HUMAN? I AM SORRY IF MY FRIEND FRIGHTENED YOU!” Oh man, he was tall! Standing this close, Emma barely came up to his rib cage. Sure she was only 5’2” but he had to be pushing 7’. His loud voice made her flinch slightly since he was standing so close. She was about to say something when the shorter skeleton placed the handle of her large suitcase in her hand and winked at her before leaning back against the wall. ‘ _Wait…how did he do that without eyelids?!_ ’ Emma stared at him for a minute before taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.

“Um, I-I’m alright.” Damn, she stuttering. ‘ _Get it together girl!_ ’ “I didn’t mean to bump into your friend. I was trying to get to the front door.” She turned to look at the fish women. “Again, I’m really sorry for bumping into you.” Much to her surprise, the other woman looked just as apologetic and even a little sheepish. The effect was slightly ruined by her sharp teeth.

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. Fwahaha! I guess I’m a little excited to go on this trip. I wanna get on this boat so badly, but we’re waiting for someone…” she growled that last part. “I just wished he’d get his ass here already!”

Emma chuckled nervously. The red head was still intimidating and she wasn’t even trying. Before she could say anything else a loud tinny voice could be heard behind her.

“Hello beauties~” She turned around and saw a pink and black robot sashaying up to the group. “Mettaton has arrives! Let’s get this party started!” Mettaton! THE METTATON! Even Emma knew who he was. She had seen some of his concerts on Youtube and on TV. He’s a very famous monster. Even the crowd that had been gawking at the group earlier was awestruck by his presence and was begging for autographs.

Emma had to quickly get out of the way as the red head barreled past her to confront Pop Star. “IT’S ABOUT FU- err, FREAKIN’ TIME YOU GOT HERE!” Emma noticed the quick, nervous glance the fish woman gave to the goat lady that was giving her a stern look. Looks like cursing isn’t aloud around the kid.

The two started to argue, so Emma took that opportunity to sneak past the group and enter the building. Once she got herself onto the ship she could relax. Her heart was still racing from her encounter with Jaws and the Skeleton crew.

Her departure didn’t go unnoticed as the two skeletons watched her slip through the double doors.

Emma made her way to a line where she had to pass through a metal detector. A funny thought crossed her mind. ‘ _I wonder how Mettaton will get past this. It’s not like he can take himself apart and put himself through the detectors.’_ She chuckled at that image even though she knew he was so famous, security would give him no problems.

The lines were long, but it moved pretty quickly. Soon her bags were on a conveyer belt and passing through an x-ray machine. So far, everything was going smoothly. Her suitcase was checked in and taken to be placed on the ship and hopefully in her room. The next line was to check her passport, boarding pass, and to receive the keycard to her room along with her room number. They even punched a hole through the tip and thread a piece of lanyard through it so she could hang it around her neck.

With all of that finally done, she marched up the gangplank to board the ship. She could see the name stenciled in huge letters on the side of the ship that read: The SS Bacchus. ‘ _Huh, now that’s a suitable name for a party ship!_ ’ she chuckled to herself. Of course, by the time her feet hit the deck, a crew member was cheerfully taking her picture. It would be the first of many.

The deck of the ship was a little crowded but nothing she couldn’t handle. They already had upbeat music playing on the Lido Deck and grills fired up to feed the masses. Most were waiting for the bars to start serving drinks but that wouldn’t happen until they pulled out of port. Emma leaned against the railing, closed her eyes, and listened to the music. She must have stood there for a good twenty minutes before deciding to check out her room.

Emma took the elevator down to the third floor. She walked for a few minutes until she finally made it to her room. She slipped her keycard into the slot and pushed the heavy cabin door opened with a click. She sighed softly. The room was a little cramped but not too bad. A bathroom on the right and a closet to the left. Two beds on either side of the room. A TV hung from the ceiling at the foot of the beds. A porthole to the back of the room with a desk and chair below it. There was even a phone and mini fridge sitting on the desk. This wasn’t too bad… just a little quiet all by herself.

In the middle of the floor sat her large suit case. ‘ _Man, the crew moves fast!’_ She sat on one of the beds and stared out the tiny porthole. She could do this. There was tons of stuff to do on the ship. She began to rub her hands together nervously. ‘ _It’s just seven days. It wont be so bad.’_ Emma took a deep breath and stopped trying so hard to convince herself that she’d be fine. She got off the bed and dragged her large suitcase over to the closet. She stuffed it into the bottom and placed her carry-on in the top. She grabbed the itinerary off the desk to look over that day’s activities. There wouldn’t be too much to do until they were well out at sea.

All of a sudden there was a loud chime that rang through the onboard PA system.

“ **All passengers please report to the fifth floor so that we can conduct a mandatory lifeboat drill. Please check the letter on your keycard so that you know which part of the deck you are assigned to. Thank you.** ” Oh yeah, she forgot about that. She quickly spotted the letter ‘O' on her card and left her room. Everyone filed out of their rooms and made their way to the stairs and elevators. The stairs were quicker. There were crew members direction everyone to where they needed to be. Soon Emma was standing there with a bunch of other people waiting for the safety demonstration to start. It all went rather quickly. The crew showed them how the life vests worked and where the lifeboats were. Direction on how to board them and how to work the beacon on the vest so they could be found out at sea. After everything was said and done they were all dismissed.

Emma moved with the crowd and soon found her way to the Lido Deck. She had only one thing on her mind: FOOD! She was starving and whatever they were grilling up smelled pretty good. Looking around she found various places that she could get something to eat. After she wandered around for a few moments, she settled for a nice juicy cheese burger and a plate of piping hot fries. Grabbing a glass of sweet iced tea, she made her way to the indoor part of the Lido Deck. Emma found a seat near one of the large windows with a good view of the pier. She grabbed some ketchup and drowned her fries and burger in it before digging into her meal.

“mmm, that looks good.” came a deep, somewhat lazy voice from behind her. Emma nearly jumped out of her skin and choked on her fries. She felt a hand lightly patting her on the back. “sorry, didn’t mean to _**rattle**_ you like that.” She turned around to see the short skeleton from earlier standing right behind her. He gave her an apologetic smile.

“SANS PLEASE, WE’RE ON VACATION! DON’T START WITH THE PUNS!” The taller skeleton walked up behind them. “I AM SORRY IF MY BROTHER IS BOTHERING YOU HUMAN. HIS PUNS CAN GET TO BE A BIT MUCH!” She watched as he reached up and rubbing his temples with his fingers.

“oh come on bro, I’m sure she thought it was _**humerus**_.” Emma watched the one called Sans snickered at his own joke. His brother was looking more and more exasperated by it. The taller one looked at his brother with a scowl on his face before turning to address her again. She watched as recognition lit his eye sockets and he smiled at her.

“OH, YOU ARE THE HUMAN THAT BUMPED INTO UNDYNE! YOU LEFT BEFORE WE COULD FORMALLY INTRODUCE OURSELVES. I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS-” she watched him do a flourish with his gloved hand, bowed, then pointed to his brother. “AND THIS IS MY EQUALLY-AS-GREAT BROTHER, SANS!” Sans simply waved his hand and gave her a wink.

Emma debated on what she should do. They seemed friendly enough. It would be rude not to address them even if it was kinda weird to be talking to skeletons. She stood up and held out her hand. Papyrus grabbed it and shook it vigorously, practically making her whole body shake. Then she shook Sans’ hand. It wasn’t as vigorous as Papyrus, but it was firm. It felt funny because the bones felt hard and warm. ‘ _How is that even possible?!_ ’ she thought before clearing her throat.

“It’s nice to meet you both. I’m Emma.” She gave them both a warm smile before she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned to her side to see the yellow lizard monster standing next to her with the redhead walking up behind her.

“H-hi Emma. I’m Alphys.” She pointed behind her. “T-this is my g-girlfriend, Undyne.” The one called Undyne stuck out her large hand for Emma to shake. She hesitated for a moment before shaking the fish lady’s hand. She realized right away that Undyne was strong, really strong! It felt like she was trying to crush the bones in her hand! “Nice ta see ya again, punk!” Emma fought really hard not to back away when Undyne flashed her that predatory grin of hers. Undyne let go of her hand and she couldn’t help but flex her fingers to get the feeling back in her appendage.

The two tall goat monsters came up behind the skeletons with a small child in tow. The female goat stepped forward. “Hello there. My name is Toriel and this is my child, Frisk.” The child waved their small hand shyly.

“Nice to meet you Toriel.” she reached out and shook Toriel’s hand. Her fur was surprisingly soft. “Frisk? As in Ambassador Frisk?” Emma asked as the child nodded. “Wow, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” She smiled brightly before turning to the taller goat man behind them. “You must be Ambassador Asgore! I’ve seen you both on the news and in magazines.” She watched as a small blush dusted his cheeks. “Howdy!” he said with a wave of his large hand.

“And you already know who I am Beauties~!” Emma watched as the flashy robot danced up behind Alphys and Undyne. “It’s me, Mettaton. The star of the Underground and rising star of the human world!” Emma couldn’t help but giggle as she watched Mettaton do a few odd poses as he talked. ‘I definitely have to get a picture with him! ’ she thought, ‘My friends will never believe this!’ Her attention was brought back to Sans when she heard him clear his non-existent throat.

“so, where did you get the burger and fries?” He waved a hand at her tray.

“Oh, there is a grill set up right out there.” she pointed to the door she just came from.

“cool! say kid-” he addressed Frisk, “feel like grabbing a burger and fries with me?” Frisk nodded vigorously before they grabbed Sans’ hand and practically dragged him out the door.

“NYEH, NO THANK YOU!” Emma turned to see Papyrus frowning. “I’M NOT A FAN OF GREASE!”

“Umm, well, they don’t have the buffet set up yet.” She pointed to the middle of the dining area. “But you still have a few choices. There is a deli on the other side of the Lido Deck. They set up a Sushi Bar back that way. Oh, and there is a pizza oven on this side. They’ll make it fresh with as many toppings as you want!”

Emma heard a squeal behind her and watched as Alphys grabbed Mettaton and Undyne by their wrists, and dragged them away. “They have Sushi Undyne, SUSHI! We have to get some!” Undyne was laughing as she let the lizard lady drag her to the bar. Mettaton was complaining but didn’t try to pull away.

“NYEH HEH HEH! I DO LIKE PIZZA!” She watches as Papyrus strike a heroic pose, his red scarf flapping in the breeze… a breeze she couldn’t feel. How was he doing that?! “IT’S ALMOST AS GOOD AS SPAGHETTI!” he declared loudly before running off into the direction of the pizzeria.

Toriel and Asgore chuckled softly at the tall skeleton’s antics before heading in the direction of the deli. Emma found herself standing at the table, alone again. Her head was spinning. Everything happened so fast, she wondered if it happened at all. She realized it did happened by the way some of the passengers in the dining area was giving her strange looks. She plopped back down in her chair and began munching on her somewhat warm fries as she stared intently out the window.

A few minutes later Frisk and Sans approached her table with their own tray of food. Frisk sat next Emma while Sans sat across from Frisk. Emma had to laugh. Frisk had a burger and a pile of fries covered in a little bit of ketchup. But Sans’ fries were practically swimming in ketchup next to his own burger.

“Hey Sans, are there any fries underneath all that ketchup?” She said with a smirk.

Sans reached into the pile and pulled out a once crispy fry that was covered in so much ketchup, it was limp. “yup!” he chuckled before popping it into his mouth.

Emma just shook her head and Frisk giggles before tucking into their burger. Soon Papyrus joined them at the table, sitting right across from her. He had two large slices of pizza on his tray. They were topped with peppers, diced tomatoes, and mushrooms. She watched him lift a slice, opened his mouth wide and took a large bite out of it. She couldn’t help but stare as she was expecting the food to fall through his jaw or exposed neck vertebrae. Surprisingly, it just disappeared! ‘ _How did he do that?! Where did it go?! Whah - but that’s not possible!’_ her thoughts ran in an unending circle of questions before mentally slapped herself.  Emma tore her eyes away from the skeleton in front of her so she could eat her own food. She mentally shrugged. It was probably rude to ask so many question of someone you just met.

Soon the others came back to the area. Alphys, Undyne, and Mettaton each brought a tray of colorfully prepared sushi to the table behind Emma. Toriel and Asgore took a seat at a table across from here. Each with a large sandwich and a cup of iced tea on their trays.

It was actually comfortable sitting around this group of monster and sharing a meal. They all chatted excitedly about all the things they were going to do and where they were going to go when they hit land. Emma just listened to it all with a smile on her face.

A loud horn blared from their ship, signaling they were departing the pier. Everyone turned to the window and watched as the ship slowly pulled out and began moving towards their destination. Frisk ran to the window and watched everything go by with a huge grin on their face. They were followed by a few tug boats that were shooting off high powered water cannons. The water arced in the air and caused a rainbow effect when the sun hit it just right. It was quite beautiful. Smaller sailing ships full of people were waving at them as they passed. Frisk laughed and waved back. _‘I remember being like that the first time I was on a cruise ship.’_ Emma mused as she watched the pure joy on Frisk’s face. Her thought were interrupted by Sans’ voice.

“so emma,” she turned to give him her full attention, “i have a question for ya.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Umm, ok, shoot.”

“i noticed that most of the people on the ship are either couples or in large groups.” Uh oh, she knew where this was going. Sans was very observant. “where is your group?” he asked with a lazy smile on his face. She noticed the white pinpricks of light in his dark eye sockets were watching her intently, almost daring her to lie. It made her nervous for some reason.

“Um, well-” she looked down at her food while speaking, “my friend and I were suppose to take this trip together. Something came up and they had to cancel, so I’m flying solo this time.” Emma looked up at Sans and shrugged. It was then that she noticed that everyone stopped talking. Frisk was looking at her with a slight frown on their face. Papyrus had a thoughtful expression on his, as well as Sans. Even Toriel and Asgore were looking at her. She quickly cleared her throat before continuing.

“It’s not so bad, really. There is so much to do on the ship, I wont get bored or anything!” She forced a smile on her face that no one was buying. The last thing she wanted was a bunch of strangers worrying about her.

The quiet was uncomfortable for a few minutes until Undyne broke it. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I want to check this ship out. I want to see what they have to offer!” She threw her arm up and shook her fist with a crazed look on her face.

“NYEH HEH HEH! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, THINKS THAT IS A WONDERFUL IDEA UNDYNE!” he yelled with great enthusiasm. The volume of his voice made Emma wince slightly. She could hear the others murmur their agreement. She let out a small sigh of relief at the change of subject, until she saw a smug look on Sans’ face. She narrowed her dark brown eyes at him because she knew he was up to something. He shrugged before addressing his brother.

“say pap, how about we invite our new friend along.” Emma watched in growing dismay as Papyrus’ eye sockets lit up and his smile got even larger.

“YES HUMAN EMMA! WONT YOU JOIN US ON OUR EXPLORATION OF THIS FINE SHIP!?” He was looking at her expectantly. Pure excitement written all over his face. How could she say no to that. Internally she was cursing the shorter skeleton. He gave her a sly wink.

“ _ **tibia**_ honest, it has to be better than sitting here looking all _**bone-ly**_ ”

“OH MY GOD SANS!” Papyrus looked like he wanted to shake his brother.

Emma snorted before letting out a chuckle. “Oh man Sans, that was bad.” She looked around and saw everyone else waiting for her reply. She sighed softly and thought, ‘ _Why not. What could it hurt._ ’

“Sure Papyrus, I’d love to come along.”  She watched him practically shudder with excitement. His bones made an odd clicking sound as they rubbed together. That was a little disturbing, but she kept that to herself.

“THEN LET US BE OFF!” He jumped up from the table and took off. The rest of the group followed suit and made their way back to the deck. Before she could get too far, Sans put his hand on Emma’s shoulder to stop her. He leaned in close and whispered, “you wont be getting rid of us that easily.” He walked past her, leaving her confused as to what he meant. Why didn’t she like the sound of that.

As the group made their way through the ship, Emma made some keen observations. Frisk was excited to try out the various pools and water slides on the top deck. Undyne was practically jumping up and down when they found a fully furnished gym, complete with treadmills, weight machines of all different sizes and functions, a pool, a track and a spot for yoga. Emma laughed when Undyne declared that she and Papyrus was going to get up early every morning to work out and he eagerly agreed.

Alphys was surprised to find a rather quiet library full of books of all kind, including some manga she hadn’t read yet. Emma learned how much she really liked anime. She spoke about her favorites in length. Emma was surprised when Toriel and Asgore asked about the specialty restaurants. Mettaton was interested in the large theater where stage shows would take place. Emma didn’t think Sans was interested in anything until they came across the Comedy Club. She told him that the comedian would be performing the next night.

There was a dance club, a karaoke bar, a large arcade, a small movie theatre as well as a large screen for movies situated above the Lido Deck, gift shop, candy shop (Frisk eyes lit up when they saw that), a casino, and a desk that gave out information about off shore activities. By the time they were done, it was time for dinner. They went back to the Buffet area on the Lido Deck and found it already stocked with food. They all sat down and had a rather enjoyable meal together. Emma mused to herself that the other passengers were already getting used to the group because only a few gave them a second glance. She suspected the liberal access to alcohol might have something to do with it.

They enjoyed the various dishes the ship had to offer and chatted among themselves. It already grew dark by the time they sat out on the Lido Deck. The warm ocean breeze and soft Caribbean music was very relaxing. All too soon, it was time for them to retire to their rooms. Emma reminded them to check the itinerary in there rooms so that they’d know what activities were going to be available for the next day. She watched as the group began to head for the elevators.

She started to slip away but Sans stopped her. He asked her for her room number. She gave him a suspicious look.  ' _What are you up to?'._ The short skeleton just smiled at her.  Emma sighed and relented.  "It’s 3214.”

He graced her with a genuine smile before turning to his brother.  "come on paps, lets head to our room. we have some unpacking to do.”

“YOU HAVE A GOODNIGHT HUMAN EMMA.” he waved at her before following his brother to the elevators.

The other monsters left until Emma was alone and wondered what she had gotten herself into. She took the two flights of stairs down to the third floor and made her way quietly to her room. It was then that Emma realized, after being around the monsters for so long, it was very quiet in her room. Their constant chatter made her forget for a few hours that she was on this trip alone. She grabbed her big suitcase out of the closet and busied herself with hanging up her evening dress, putting her toiletries in the bathroom and pulling out her oversized light grey T-shirt that she loved sleeping in.

Emma took a quick shower, put on her T-shirt, placed her glasses near the phone on the desk, and flopped on the bed. She turned on the small flat screen TV just to break up the silence of the room. She found a station dedicated to music before crawling under the soft, heavy covers of her bed. By the time her head hit the pillow, she was already drifting off to sleep.


	2. Captain's Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our cast of lovable monsters get their first taste of life on the high seas. Emma learns that going on a vacation by herself isn't so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having so much fun writing this!

***KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK***

“…”

***KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK***

“…”

***KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK***

“… huh, what the hell?!”

Someone was banging on her door. Emma didn’t know what time it was but she knew it was way too early for someone to be at her door. She threw the heavy covers off and stumbles out of her comfy bed.

***KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK***

“I’m gonna kill whoever’s there!” she grumbled under her breath as she stomped her way to her cabin door.

***KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK***

“WHO IS IT!” she growled out.

“IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

Emma stared at the door blankly for a few moments before unlocking the door and poking her head out. She didn’t put on her glasses so she squinted up at the tall skeleton.

“Papyrus, w-what are you doing here!?” She tried to sound polite, but it was way too early for that. Her mind was still a little foggy from sleep.

“I WAS UP EARLY THIS MORNING, WORKING OUT IN THE GYM WITH UNDYNE! AFTERWARDS, I CAME ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE TO INVITE YOU TO BREAKFAST. SANS SAID YOU WOULDN’T MIND!”

She blinked at him in slight confusion until he mentioned Sans’ name. ‘ _Sans! I’m gonna get him for this!’_ she thought darkly before shaking her head. Emma rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hand as she tried to wipe the sleep away. She squinted up at him again and could see him waiting for her answer. She sighed and smiled tiredly.

“Sure, I’d love to have breakfast with you guys. I just need, maybe twenty minutes to get ready.”

“THIS IS WONDERFUL! I’M GLAD YOU HAVE ACCEPTED MY INVITATION!” He was speaking so loud that a few passengers poked their own heads out of their cabins to see what the fuss was about. Emma wasn’t in the best mood and was tempted to leave him standing out there until she was ready. She quickly shot that idea down. It really wasn’t his fault. His brother put him up to this. Plus, it didn’t seem right to send him back to his room or to the group without her.

“Why don’t you come in Papyrus. You can wait inside while I get dressed and we can meet up with the others together.” She stood back a little as she held the door open for him.

“SURE, I’D LOVE TO COME IN! THANK YOU.” Emma had to suppress a giggle as she watched the tall skeleton bend slightly to squeeze through her narrow cabin doorway. She guessed there was a disadvantage to being so tall.

She pressed herself against the wall giving him enough room to walk past her before locking the door behind him. She watched him as he looked around the room before taking a seat on the other bed. Emma went to the closet and pulled out her large suitcase. Laying it on the floor, she got on her knees, opened it up, and began searching for what she was going to wear that day.

Papyrus was surprised at how cozy Emma’s room was. The cabin he shared with his brother was larger than this. They had a balcony while Emma seemed to only have a small round window. He was going to say as much. Unfortunately, he drew a blank as he watched her root through her suitcase. He didn’t notice that she was only wearing a large, grey T-shirt. It seemed to come down just above her knees, leaving the rest of her caramel colored skin exposed. He could feel himself starting to blush and had to turn away to get it under control. He concentrated on the calming music coming from the TV.

He heard her zipping her suitcase up and heaving it back in the closet. He turned to see her clutching some articles of clothing in her arms. She headed for the bathroom.

“Ok Paps, I’ll be out in a few minutes.” Emma disappeared behind the door.

‘Wait, did she just call me Paps!? Wowwie! She's using my nickname already! We are becoming good friends!’ He had the biggest smile on his face, stars in his eye sockets, and had his fists pressed against his cheekbones. This made him so happy. When she answered the door, she seemed angry with him. He was a little worried that he might have done something wrong. But now he knew she considered him a friend.

Fifteen minutes later, Emma emerged from the bathroom sporting a burnt orange V-neck t-shirt, jean shorts that stopped just past her knees, and white sneakers. She went back to her closet and stuffed her grey shirt in it. Closing the closet door, she walked over to the mirror that was up against the wall. Papyrus watched in fascination as she ran her fingers through her oddly colored hair. She scooted past him to retrieve her glasses and keycard off the desk.

“Okay, I’m ready! Let’s head out.” He responded with a, “NYEH HEH HEH!” as he jumped up from the bed and headed for the door. Emma shook her head in amazement at how much energy he has this early in the morning.

She made sure her cabin door was locked before they both started walking down the hallway. Papyrus began to tell her about his workout with Undyne and she was so glad he didn’t drag her along for that! From the sound of it, they were both very competitive and the challenges they set for themselves sounded just plain crazy to her. They passed a few people that gave them both odd looks. Papyrus didn’t seem to care, so why should she.

They made their way to the elevators and took it up to the Lido Deck. It was already a party there, with people jumping into pools or sunning themselves on the various beach chairs that lined the deck. The bar was open and lined with people ready to get their drink on. “I’m not even surprised.” she giggles and Papyrus gave her an odd look. She just shook her head and told him it was nothing.

The sliding doors to the inner dining area opened up and the smell of food hit her nose. Her stomach growled in response. Maybe it was a good thing Paps invited her after all. She was more hungry than she thought. Soon they found the group sitting at a few tables and chowing down on everything from pancakes to French toast to various overstuffed omelets.

“Good morning everyone!” Emma cheerfully waved to the group and got a chorus of responses in kind. She gave Sans a playful glare and he just chuckled. She grabbed Papyrus by the wrist and practically dragged him over to the buffet tables.

In a few minutes they came back to the group with trays in hand. They sat at the table Sans was occupying. Papyrus has a plate stacked with pancakes covered in syrup and scrambled eggs on the side. Next to that was a glass of milk. Emma had a small bowl with slices of cantaloupe and honey dew. On her plate was a toasted bagel covered in cream cheese and jelly. On the side was a large stack of bacon. A glass of passion fruit juice was sitting on the edge of her tray.

“hey emma.” she looked up at Sans. He had a lazy grin on his face. She watched the lights in his eye sockets glance at her plate. “say, did you leave enough bacon for the rest of the passengers?” She lifted a piece and pointed it at him with a serious look on her face.

“Look, I don’t get to eat this as much as I like at home. There is no way in hell I’m passing up free bacon on this trip, so don’t judge me!” She took a large bite out of the bacon in her hand. She looked him in his eye sockets and began chewing aggressively for a few seconds before they both bust out laughing. Papyrus eyed them both with bewilderment before shrugging and continuing his own meal.

“Oh, by the way Paps-” he looked down at Emma with a curious look on his face, “ next time you want to get a hold of me in the morning, just call my room. You don’t have to show up at my door.” Papyrus looked at her sheepishly as he scratched the back of his skull.

“I’M SORRY HUMAN EMMA! I DIDN’T KNOW THE NUMBER TO YOUR ROOM.”

She gave him an amused smile. “My room number IS my phone number. Just dial that and the call will go straight to my room.”

Papyrus looked genuinely surprised and Emma could hear a chorus of “Ohs” and “I didn’t know that!”. She even heard Sans chuckle and say “Oops.” They really didn’t know? Looks like it was a big misunderstanding.

After that, breakfast was quite enjoyable with everyone talking about what they were going to do for the rest of the day. Just then, Emma got their attention.

“Um guys, do you know about Captain’s Night?” She looked around to see a bunch of confused monsters staring back at her. After a few seconds Toriel spoke up.

“I believe I saw something about that in the itinerary. I’m not sure what it means though.” Toriel tilted her head to the side in thought. Emma was more than happy to explain.

“Ok, Captain’s Night is a kind of ‘Meet and Greet’ that the captain of this ship hosts. It’s a formal dinner so you will have to dress in your finest attire. No shorts, hoodies, or sneakers!” She eyed Sans when she said that. He just chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. “A nice suit or tuxedo and dresses. This is important because this is where most of the pictures will be taken too.”

“P-pictures! Oh n-no.” Alphys squeaked out. Emma could see her wringing her claws together as she fidgeted nervously. “I m-mean, I have a d-dress, b-but I d-don’t know if it’s p-pretty enough to take a p-picture in.” Emma watched as the yellow monster began lowering her head. She knew what it felt like to be self-conscious about how she looked. At that point, she just wanted to give Alphys a hug. Luckily for her, Undyne beat her to the punch. She watched as the tall redhead reached over and gave her a one armed hug.

“Hey babe, don’t worry about it. You’ll look cute in anything!” Undyne gave her the warmest smile Emma had ever seen and Alphys started to blush.

“She’s right darling~” Everyone turned to see Mettaton walking up to Alphys and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Besides I’m here! I’ve brought a few accessories that’ll make you look absolutely fabulous!”

Both Alphys and Undyne looked shocked at the offer. “Mettaton!? Y-you mean it? You’ll really h-help me out?” She looked on the verge of tears. Mettaton gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“Of course darling! What are friends for.” He flashed her a dazzling smile and at that point, Alphys really did break down in tears. It took a few minutes of Undyne and Mettaton comforting her before she got her tears under control. Emma waited for her to calm down before asking another question:

“Do you know the name of the dining room?” Emma lifted her keycard that was hanging around her neck. She knew the monsters came as a group, so they should all be in the same spot. “Your keycard should have the name, floor, and table number on it.” Everyone began fishing for their keycards and looking them over. It was Asgore that spoke up.

“My card says it’s The Golden Pearl on the seventh floor. Table 245 at 6pm.” Emma saw everyone else shaking their heads in agreement.

“Ok, that’s good. Just remember to be there early. They like to start promptly at 6pm. Trust me, it’s going to be a lot of fun!” Emma looked around to see excitement on everyone’s face. They all spoke for a few more minutes before a server came to them and cleared their tables of the plates and glasses. The group took it as a signal that they should start their day. Emma didn’t get too far when she felt a tap on her arm. It was Frisk. They pointed to the keycard hanging around her neck and gave her a questioning look. It took Emma a second to get what they were trying to ask her.

“Oh um,” she double checked her keycard, “I’ll be at The Golden Pearl on the sixth floor. Table 124 at 6pm. Huh, same time as you guys.” Emma watched as Frisk flashed her a bright smile and a nod before walking off. Emma missed the ‘Thumbs Up’ the kid gave Sans as they walked by. The short skeleton’s smile got bigger. He was so proud of that kid!

Undyne suddenly pumped her fist in the air and yelled out, “Alright everyone! Lets go out and have some fun, fwahahaha!” The group shuffled out the double doors and was greeted by blare and body thrumming beat of Caribbean music. Frisk grabbed Toriel’s hand and they headed to the kid’s pool with Asgore following close behind. Undyne dragged Alphys over to where a group of people were dancing. Mettaton was swarmed by eager fans that wanted his autograph or asked him a bunch of questions. Sans was already sitting down on one of the deck chairs with his eye sockets closed. Papyrus looked like he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He looked overwhelmed. Emma reached over an tugged on his wrist to get his attention.

“Hey Paps, how about we head to the upper deck? I saw a few ping pong and pool tables up there. We can play a few matches of ping pong, even though I know I can beat you.” She elbowed him in the side playfully. As soon as she seen that huge smile spread across his face, she knew she had him.

“NYEH HEH HEH! THERE IS NO WAY THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL LOOSE TO YOU, HUMAN!” He struck another dramatic pose before racing up the steps. Emma just shook her head and took her time going up the stairs. By the time she reached the ping pong area, Papyrus already had two paddles in hand, a ball, and a table ready for them. She took a paddle from him and stood on the opposite side of the table.

Emma gave him a competitive smirk. “Just so you know, I played a lot of ping pong in college. In fact, I was on a team. You’re going down!” she laughed at the surprised look on his face and got into position.

“WE WILL SEE ABOUT THAT HUMAN!” Papyrus bounced the ball once on the table before hitting it with his paddle. And so it began.

They both spent a good half an hour laughing and playfully jeering each other. Papyrus had a better reach than her with his longer arms but Emma had no problem intercepting his shots. Every time one of them missed, the other would gloat. It wasn’t mean spirited and more often time than not, Papyrus would tell her how good she was doing or Emma would tell him he had to loosen his grip on the paddle. At some point they were having so much fun they kind of stopped keeping score. They didn’t even notice the small crowd of kids that were watching them play. Emma was about to serve when she heard a familiar voice.

“Hey nerds, what’re you two doing up here!?” Undyne’s voice boomed as she made it up to the top step with Alphys in tow. They made their way to their table.

“We’re just playing a little ping pong. Do you and Alphys want to join us? We can play doubles! Paps and I against you and Alphys. It’ll be great!” Emma waved her paddle at Undyne. “Unless you don’t think you can beat us?” The look on Undyne’s face was priceless and a little scary. That toothy grin came back in full force before she pointing a threatening finger at Emma.

“YOU ARE SO ON, PUNK!” she yelled. Papyrus rushed off to the counter to grab two more paddles. Alphys looked very nervous but Emma reassured her that it was all in good fun. Everything would be alright. Papyrus rushed back with the paddles and thrust them in our competitors’ hands. Undyne decided to serve first and Emma quickly discovered the consequences of challenging her.

Man, Undyne had an arm on her! Every time she hit the ball over the net and Emma tried to hit it back, it made her hand tingle. She hits so hard, it would sometimes fly passed them! Alphys was very timid so Emma made sure she’d hit the ball light enough for her to hit it back. Emma watched as Papyrus would smack the ball hard enough to send it sailing over the little net and head towards Undyne. And it went on like this for the rest of the match.

They were all having so much fun smack talking and joking with one another. Even Alphys began to loosen up and have fun. After an hour, both Emma and Alphys began to get tired. They excused themselves and sat down at one of the tables to watch their partners play. Emma couldn’t believe they could keep going like that. They didn’t even look tired.

“Are they always this competitive?” she looked over at Alphys who began to fidget a bit.

“Um well, you s-see, that is-” Alphys just shook her head and began to laugh, “ yeah, t-they’re always l-like that. T-they have been b-best friends for years. T-they live t-to compete with one another.”

They both turned back to the table and laughed as Undyne somehow got Papyrus in a headlock and was giving him a noogie. Poor Papyrus was waving his hands around and telling her not to noogie the skeleton. Some of the kids and adults that were watching began to laugh at the display as well. They reminded her of her best friend, Marcy. A wave of sadness struck her at the thought of her best friend not being here before she shook it off.

“Hey Alphys?” Alphys turned towards her. “I’m going to head down to the grill and grab a hotdog. Do you want one?” Alphys looked almost surprised that she asked before nodding her head.

“S-sure, I’d love to have one. T-thank you.” she said with a shy smile.

“Cool! Do you want mustard or ketchup?” Emma got up from the table and headed for the stairs. She was giving Alphys time to choose.

“Ah ummm, mustard p-please!” She gave Alphys a thumbs up before disappearing down the steps.

As she made her way to the grill, she noticed Sans was still fast asleep in the same deck chair they left him in earlier. She didn’t know how he could sleep with such loud music going on. She just shrugged and continued on her way. Emma stood on the line and waited patiently to make her order. She decided to get three jumbo dogs, one with mustard and two with ketchup. She thanked the grill master and headed towards Sans.

She sat down on an unoccupied chair next to Sans and lightly tapped him on the arm. After a few seconds she watched him stir and open his empty eye sockets. Small pinpricks of light formed in his eye sockets before they swung in her direction.

“hey emma, what’s up?” Emma just smiled and held out a hotdog with plenty of ketchup to him. He tilted his head to the side, looking almost skeptical before taking it from her.

“heh, thanks. i have to admit, i’m a little surprised. i just assumed you didn’t like me.” Emma watched his grin slipped a little. She just shook her head and stood up.

“Oh Sans, you know what they say when you ‘ **ASSUME** ’ something-.” At the confused look on his face, she held up a finger and wiggled it at him. “It makes an **ASS** out of **U** and **ME.** ” She got up and headed for the stairs.

After a few seconds, he chuckled. Sans watched her leave and said softly, “good one kid.” He took a big bite out of his jumbo dog and relaxed back into his chair.

Emma made it up to the top deck just in time to see Undyne chasing Papyrus around the ping pong table. She handed Alphys her hotdog before sitting down. Alphys thanked her and they both bit into their jumbo dogs and watched the show at the ping pong table.

After she was done, Emma looked over the railing and laughed as Mettaton managed to form a full blown conga line! Everyone on the line seemed to be having a great time. Even the crew just went with it. Both Emma and Alphys managed to fish out their phones so they could take pictures of the craziness going on below them. Emma made her way to the kiddie pool that was also on the upper deck. She placed her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh at what she saw.

Frisk and some other children were playing in the kiddie pool. Toriel was sitting on the edge of the pool, making sure no one got hurt. Asgore was sprawled out on one of the deck chairs. Even from this angle she could tell it was too small for him. He had one arm draped over his eyes to block out the sun while the other arm and his legs were hanging over the edge of the chair and onto the deck floor. Emma had to take a picture of this. It was just too cute.

Soon time flew by and it was getting closer to Captain’s night. Emma made sure to remind everyone to be there on time and be prepared to have their pictures taken. Fifteen minutes later she was unlocking the door to her room. She pulled her evening gown out of the closet and laid it on the unoccupied bed. She stares at it and prayed that she’d get through the evening alright.

* * *

 

Emma spent a few minutes putting her dreads up in a faux hawk with thin hair pins. She smiled as her violet tips seemed to shine in the light. She fished a hair clip out of her bag. It was shaped like a silver and red flower with thin chains hanging from it. She clipped it to her hair just above her left ear. A little bit of red blush dusted her cheek and some candy red lipstick on her lips was all the makeup she needed.

She stood up and took one last look at herself in the mirror. Emma wore a black, strapless evening gown that hugged her curvy hips and fanned out past her knees. It stopped a little above her ankles. There was a thick silver chain draped around her waist and the outfit was finished with a pair of silver shoes with three inch heels. She grabbed a small red purse out of her large suitcase. Emma put her keycard and itinerary inside. She made sure she had everything before heading out the door. Her family would have gotten a kick out how she looks tonight. She actually put some effort into looking nice even though she would be dining alone.

Emma took the elevator to the sixth floor. She noticed the families and couples all dressed up and heading to The Golden Pearl dining area as well. Emma showed her keycard to the nearest server so they could show her to her table. As she approached her table, she notices that there were other couples sitting there. ‘ _Well, at least I wont be dining alone.’_ Emma thought as the server pulled a seat out for her. She said a polite “Hello” to the other people sitting at the table and began looking over the menu for the night.

**Meanwhile…**

On the seventh floor, a group of monsters are escorted to their own table. They are taken aback by the elegance of the dining room. Huge chandeliers that shimmered in gold and silver decorate the ceiling. Gold and silver fish and pearls seem to swim up the walls and curl around the large windows. Their table was very large to accommodate their group.

Two servers came up to the group. They introduced themselves as Marco and Peter. They helped the group to their seats. The servers were a little nervous at first, but it didn’t stop them from doing their job. As everyone began to settle in their seats, Sans got Peter's attention.

“hey buddy, is there any way we could fit another person at this table? i’d like to invite a friend to have dinner with us.”

“Yes sir! We can place another setting at your table. It’s not a problem.” Sans thanked Peter before he went off to get an extra setting and chair for their guest. Then he got Papyrus attention.

“hey paps, you should find our friend. everything will be set up by the time you get back.” Sans gave Papyrus a knowing smile and watched as his brother as he made his way to the stairs that lead to the lower part of the dining room.

  
**Back on the Sixth Floor…**

  
Emma sat there quietly, trying to figure out what she was going to order. The other people seemed to have no trouble chatting among themselves, but she found she had nothing to say to them. She grimaced a little as her thoughts began to sink into loneliness. She was trying hard not to let it, but it was getting the better of her. So lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t notice the people at the table had gotten considerably quiet and was staring at something behind her. A soft tap on her shoulder made her jump a little. She turned to see a familiar skeleton standing behind her. He was wearing a well fitted black tuxedo with a white dress shirt, white gloves, and a cute orange bowtie to complete the look.

“P-Papyrus? What are you doing here?!” Confusion must have been evident on her face because he just smiled and held out a hand to her.

“I HAVE COME TO INVITE YOU TO HAVE DINNER WITH US!”

Emma just stared at Papyrus for a few seconds. She couldn’t believe he came all this way to invite her to his table. This made her feel warm and a little fuzzy inside. She chuckled softly to get rid of the funny feeling.

“Sure Paps, I’d love to join you for dinner.” He looked so relieved. It made her wonder if he thought she was going to say ‘No’. She guessed he might not be as confident as he appeared to be. He reached out and pulled out her chair so she could stand up from the table. Papyrus held his arm out to her and she took it gratefully. He lead her to the stairs. Emma frowned slightly as she watched servers and other passengers bump into one another to get out of their way. Papyrus was being a perfect gentleman and wasn’t doing anything to warrant such reactions.

“Papyrus?” he looked down at Emma with a questioning gaze. “You’re looking pretty sharp tonight. That tux looks really good on you.” She watched as an orange glow dusted his cheekbones. _“Oh…my…gosh, he’s blushing!? That’s so adorable!”_ she smiled and watched as he nervously scratched the back of his skull.

“T-THANK YOU, EMMA. THAT DRESS IS VERY FLATTERING ON YOU AS WELL!” She thanked him as they made their way up the stairs. She looked up at the beautiful ceiling. Emma sighed and gave Papyrus’ arm a slight squeeze as she thanked him again for inviting her. She heard a soft “NYEH HEH HEH” as they made their way through the crowd.

Within a few minutes, they were at the monsters’ table. They were all chatting to one another and pointing at their menus excitedly. Emma greeted everyone and got a chorus of “Hi, Hellos, and What’s up!” in return. Papyrus placed his gloved hand on her back and lead her to an empty chair that was between him and a large ornate window. He pulled the chair out for her to sit down then he took his own seat.

Emma noticed that everyone at the table looked pretty good. From Sans’ powder blue suit, white ruffled dress shirt, and blue bow tie to the flashy Mettaton. The robot entertainer didn’t have a tux on but he somehow managed to make the pink parts of his body sparkle with sequins. Even Asgore managed to find a simple black tux in his size.

Toriel was wearing a beautiful purple dress with gold trim around her V-neck collar, around the end of her long sleeves and down her sides. Both Frisk and Undyne were wearing well fitted pants suits. Undyne’s was a soft cream color and Frisk‘s was a beautiful royal blue. Undyne’s long red hair was done up in a neat bun with long silver sticks holding it in place.

Finally, Emma spotted Alphys. She was wearing a loose black dress with a short white, long sleeved jacket that complimented her outfit. What caught Emma’s attention was the silver chains that wad wrapped around the spikes on her head. They were thin, looped around her head, and hung low in the back in an intricate pattern. She also wore a silver choker around her neck with yellow gems of various sizes hanging from it.

“Hey Alphys! You look really nice tonight.” Emma watched as Alphys squirmed a little in her seat and smiled shyly.

“T-thank you Emma.” she stammered. “Mettaton helped me out a lot.”

The robot just waved her off. “Of course darling~. You’re my friend. Besides, it was fun!” He threw his hands in the air with a flourish.

Undyne leaned over and gave Alphys a one armed hug. “Looking good babe!” Poor Alphys began to blush uncontrollably. This just made everyone at the table chuckle softly.

Within a few minutes everyone was back to looking at the menus and trying to figure out what they all wanted. Papyrus seemed bummed out that there wasn’t any spaghetti available. Emma leaned over and pointed out that he could have the shrimp parmesan on a bed of penne pasta. It was as close to spaghetti as he was going to get tonight. He seemed satisfies with this and thanked her kindly.

“Oh man, this sucks!” Emma looked up from her menu to see Undyne scowling at hers. “I can’t make up my mind if I want the steak or the red snapper!”

Emma just shook her head. “Just order them both. You can order as many plates as you want. Everything is already paid for.”

Undyne and everyone else at the table looked shocked. “Wait, I can do that?!” Emma nodded. Undyne threw her fist in the air and shouted, “Cool, I’m getting them both!”

“Whenever my family and I would attend these dinners, my brother always ordered two plates. He would see multiple things on the menu he wanted and would try them all.” Emma shook her head at the memory of her brother eating all that food.

Their server, Marco, took everyone’s orders and collected all the menus before rushing off.

“YOU HAVE A BROTHER?” Papyrus asked out of curiosity.

Emma smiled. “Yup. He’s a few years younger than me. He’s a goofball but I love him!” Her smile morphed into a slight frown. “I just wish he hadn’t joined the military.”

Emma sighed softly and ran her fingers through her dreads. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m very proud of him, but I worry about his safety too.” She noticed that Undyne and Sans seemed particularly interested in what she was saying. “No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t talk him out of it. It was just something he really wanted to do. In the end, all I could do was support his choice.” Emma didn’t miss the strange look they both gave Papyrus. She thought it was odd but didn’t want to ask and seem nosey.

Peter and Marco brought a large platter that had the various fruit and shrimp cocktails for the group to enjoy while waiting for their main dish to arrive. The table was full of chatter and laughter as they waited for the main course to arrive.

Sitting there with the group reminded Emma of her own family. It was only then she realized how much she missed their company. Emma didn’t think anyone noticed her souring mood until a small voice caught her attention.

“Are you okay?” Emma looked up to see Frisk staring at her with concern in their eyes. She grimaced slightly because the last thing she wanted was to have a little kid worrying about her. The monsters got really quiet and she was mentally kicking herself for killing the mood.

“I’m okay. It’s just, this reminded me of the meals I enjoyed with my own family on these trips.” Emma gives them all a sad smile. “The Captain’s Night was always a highlight for us.” She shook her head and sighed softly. “Sorry guys. I didn‘t mean to ruin the mood.”

Toriel reached across the table and gripped Emma’s hand. “Do not worry my friend, you didn’t ruin anything. In fact, I am quiet honored that we remind you of your family.” She smiled warmly.

Emma thought about what Toriel said and she agreed with her. Emma looked around the table and found that they all seemed to agree with Toriel. “Thank you, everyone.”

Near the end of the cocktail, the captain stood up and introduced himself. He thanked all the guests for joining him this evening and he hoped they all enjoyed their time on the ship. Everyone clapped politely as the wait staff cleared the tables to serve them their main course. The room grew quiet save for the clinking of utensils on plates and the hums of appreciation. The food was really good.

The rest of the dinner went by smoothly… and by “smoothly”, Emma thought totally insane! Sans couldn’t help but make a bunch of fish puns which had Undyne lunging across the table and poor Papyrus face palming. Alphys and Asgore were doing their best to calm Undyne down while Toriel and Frisk were trying to muffle their laughter behind their hands. Emma could honestly say the evening wasn‘t boring.

Halfway through their meal a photographer approached their table to take pictures. Asgore and Toriel leaned in on either side of Frisk. Both monsters had soft smiles on their faces while Frisk had a huge toothy grin on theirs. Emma thought that looked too cute.

Next the photographer took a few pictures of Alphys and Undyne together. Alphys was stammering and trying to hide her face behind her claws until Undyne put her arms around her shoulders and snuck in a quick kiss to her cheek. Emma couldn’t believe how much Alphys was blushing. She looked like she might pass out at any minute.

Emma was left shaking her head at Mettaton. You would have thought he was at a red carpet photo shoot or something. Each pose he did was more ridiculous than the last and he insisted that the photographer take a picture of every single one with the promise that he‘d buy every single photo. The poor guy looked uncomfortable but did as he was asked. If it meant the customer was going to purchase those pictures, who was he to argue with the flamboyant entertainer.

Emma couldn’t help but smile as the skeleton brothers leaned in close to one another. She didn’t think their grins could get even wider, but somehow they both managed to do it. Papyrus didn’t even notice Sans holding up two fingers behind his head. Emma could hear Frisk giggling softly at the display.

“Excuse me miss,” Emma turned to the photographer. “Look this way and smile please.” She did as she was told, giving the camera a small smile before the flash went off. Emma blinked a few times to get the spots out of her eyes. Then she heard Papyrus say, “WAIT, CAN YOU TAKE ONE MORE PICTURE?” She felt a boney and metal arm wrap around her shoulders as Papyrus and Mettaton leaned in close on either side of her. She had a bemused grin on her face as they all smiled for the camera.

“Darling, with this picture, you’ll be the most popular person in town! You know, because I’m in it~!” said Mettaton. Emma and Papyrus laughed but she had to admit, he was probably right. She was going to make sure she took this picture home with her. Her friends wont believe their eyes.

The dinner was wrapped up with all the servers stopping what they were doing to perform to the song, “Uptown Funk” for all the diners. Mettaton loved that and even joined in while showing off his crazy dance moves. Later on they had various desserts of lemon cake, sorbets, and molten chocolate cake. The chocolate cake was her favorite.

After they were done, everyone began to get up from the table and thanked their servers for the great service. “Hey guys, do you have anything planned for this evening? It’s still kinda early.” Emma pointed out and watched as the monsters chatted among themselves.

“W-well, Undyne and I-I were going to check out the k-karaoke bar tonight. They are h-having a movie trivia c-contest there.” Alphys was wringing her claws together until Undyne places a firm hand on her shoulder. She gave Alphys a toothy grin and pumped her other fist in the air. “That’s right! We’re going to have so much fun, plus we’ll probably try out a little karaoke afterwards!” Alphys chuckled nervously at that.

Toriel reached down and ruffled Frisk’s mop of brown hair. “There is a show being put on for the children at the main theatre. Asgore and I were taking Frisk to see it.” The child looked up as Toriel and smiled brightly. Asgore walked up and also ruffled Frisk’s hair. Emma chuckled and wondered if the child even got annoyed from them doing that.

“Well darling~, I hear the ship has a Disco club on it…” Mettaton began posing dramatically and it took everything Emma had not to laugh outright. “I’m going to dance the night away~!” he sung out loud and it caused some of the other passengers to stare.

“whelp, I don’t know about the rest of you, but i think i’ll hit the sack early. i’m just **bone tired**.” Sans looked at the group with a lazy grin on his face before he turned around and began walking away.

“SANS WAIT, YOU LAZY BONES! THE NIGHT IS STILL YOUNG!” Papyrus called out to his brother. He was hoping they could find something to do together.

“Oh well, that’s too bad. I was planning on checking out the comedian they have booked on the ship tonight.” Emma watched as Sans froze in place. She turned to Papyrus. “Say Paps, want to check it out with me? It’ll be fun!”

Papyrus rubbed his chin in thought. “SURE, I’D LOVE TO JOIN YOU. BUT IF THEIR COMEDY ACT CONSISTS OF NOTHING BUT PUNS…” he eyed his brother for a moment, “THEN I’M WALKING OUT!”

Emma doubled over in laughter at Papyrus’ reaction. He must hear puns all the time from his brother. As she got her giggle fits under control, Sans strolled back to the group. He had his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets and looked directly at Emma.

“well, if you two are checking out the comedy club, i guess i can tag along. you know, to keep you company.” This seemed to make Papyrus very happy. He picked Sans up off his feet and gave him a big hug.

The group began to file out of the dining room and head out to their respective activities for the evening. Before they could split up, they noticed that the area they were standing in was set up for passengers to take individual or group photos in front of various cloth backdrops. A photographer walked up to them.

“Excuse me, would you be interested in taking a group photo? Just pick a backdrop that interest you…” she waved her hand at the beautiful painted canvases lined up against the large ship windows. “and ask anyone of our professional photographers to take your picture. Then they will be developed and put up for purchase on the fifth floor within three days.”

They all nodded and thanked the woman before moving off to check out the backdrops. There were quite a few nice ones to choose from, but the monsters agreed on a backdrop of a grassy field full of colorful wild flowers. The sky was a beautiful blue with wispy clouds drifting across it. Emma had to admit, it was really pretty.

Emma went to stand on the other side of the area and watched as the photographer arranged the monsters. Toriel, Asgore, Papyrus, Metatton, and Undyne stood in the back because they were the tallest in the group. Frisk, Sans, and Alphys were in front because they were the shortest. The group were all smiles as the photographer positioned her camera to take their picture. All of a sudden, Undyne yelled out:

“HEY PUNK!” she pointed at Emma. “Why are you standing over there? This is a group photo. You ARE apart of the group!” Emma looked shocked. Toriel even waved for her to come over. Emma thought they’d want to take the picture without her. The group seemed more like a family then just friends and she didn’t want to ruin their photo. It looks like she was wrong.

Emma could feel her face heat up with embarrassment as she made her way over to the group. Frisk and Sans moved to give Emma enough space to stand in between them. Frisk gave her a quick hug and Sans placed his hand on her shoulder. She whispered a “Thank You” to everyone before facing the photographer with a shy smile on her face. Two pictures were taken, the photographer was thanked by everyone, and they all went their separate ways.

Sans, Papyrus and Emma walked to the Comedy Club that was located on the other end of the ship. Emma thought she heard Sans mumble something about being unable to use shortcuts because they were constantly moving. Papyrus declared, quite loudly, that Sans could really use the exercise. She didn’t know what they were talking about and didn’t want to ask. She figured it was just a strange monster thing.

They made their way to the comedy club just as the doors were opening and a line of people outside was shuffling in. Sans found a good spot directly in the middle where they would have a good view of the stage. Emma sat in between the brothers with Sans slouching on her right and Papyrus sitting relaxed but somewhat straight on her left. Soon the lights dimmed even more and a spotlight lit the stage. They could hear a loud voice welcoming them to the show and introducing their comedian for the evening, John Dekoda.

John’s act started out a little slow with him telling the audience about his childhood and his strict Italian mother. By the time he got to the practical joke he played on a diner full of people, everyone was doubled over in laughter. Who would have thought subjecting a room full of people to Tom Jones’ “What’s New Pussycat!” 21 time with a break of “It’s Not Unusual.” seven songs in could be so entertaining! Emma could practically picture people flipping out when “What’s New Pussycat!” started up again. That made it all even more funny.

“man, i need to try this the next time i’m in grillbys.” Sans’s chuckled softly.

Emma looked over at the grinning skeleton. Even in the very dim light, she could see the pinprick of light in his empty sockets. It was a little unsettling to say the least. “What’s Grillbys?”

“only the best place to find grub in ebottville.”

“HEH, YEAH RIGHT.” Emma could almost hear the sneer in Papyrus’ voice. “IF YOU LIKE GREASY FOOD, THEN THAT IS THE BEST PLACE TO FIND IT!” Both Sans and Emma laughed as they watched Papyrus cross his boney arms over his chest with a huff.

“oh, come on bro, it’s not that bad. emma, if you ever make your way to ebottville, i’ll take you there. my treat.” Sans lazy grin seemed to stretch wider when he said that. Emma just shook her head at that. Maybe she’ll take the short skeleton up on his offer.

After a few more minutes of laughter, the comedian began to wrap up his show. We all applauded before people began filing out of the club. Emma watched as Sans approached the stage where he went to shake John’s hand. The man looked surprised to see a monster attending his show but took Sans’ hand anyway. There was a strange farting noise that seemed to come from their handshake. Sans flipped his hand over to show his fellow comedian what was in his hand before they both burst out laughing. They chatted for a few minutes then Sans made his way back to them.

Sans lifted his hand, showing Emma the mini whoopee cushion in his palm. “ah, the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick! it never gets old.” Poor Papyrus just face palmed at his brother’s antics while Emma had a slight giggle fit. Papyrus just shook his head and lead the way out of the club.

“well i had fun tonight but i’m bone tired. all that laughing really took a lot out of me.” Sans looked over at his brother with droopy eye sockets just to prove his point. This time Papyrus agreed with him.

“YOU ARE RIGHT BROTHER!  IT IS GETTING RATHER LATE. BESIDES, I NEEDS TO GET UP BRIGHT AND EARLY TO GO TO THE GYM WITH UNDYNE!  NYEH HEH HEH HEH!” Papyrus declared rather loudly. He was so busy posing that he missed the look Sans and Emma gave each other. At the mention of getting up early and going to the gym, a shudder ran through both of them at the same time. Working out was definitely NOT how they wanted to spend their vacation.

As they made their way to the elevators, something outside one of the large windows caught Emma’s attention. She veered off to the side and stopped to look through window. What she saw made her smile and she called out to the brothers to get their attention. She motioned for them to follow her through a heavy glass door that lead to the outer deck. Emma tugged on the heavy door a few times before Papyrus came over and pulled the door open with no problem. She walked over to the railing and leaned against it. She tilted her head up and the brothers followed her gaze.

The open sky was littered with stars! They glittered in the inky darkness like precious jewels. The beautiful colors ranged from gold and silvers to various shades of red and green. And sitting just above the ocean was the moon. It was so close you could almost reach out and touch it. It’s pale light danced across the dark water. This was all a rare sight for Emma and judging by the small gasps from the brothers, it was just as rare for them too.

“WOWIE! THIS IS…I…I HAVE NO WORDS…” Papyrus’ eye sockets was the widest she had ever seen them. He stood next to her and gripped the railing tightly. “I HAVE NEVER SEEN THE MOON THIS BIG BEFORE.” He reached out with a gloved hand as thought he could touch it.

Sans stood next to his brother, never taking his eye sockets off the night sky. “i never thought we’d ever get to see this, being trapped underground for so long. this sight never gets old.” He slumps forward against the railing and let out a content sigh.

Emma watched the brothers from the corner of her eye. She wasn’t expecting such a strong reaction from both of them. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. If she was trapped underground for years, she’d want to look at the open sky as much as possible.

Emma didn’t know how long they were standing there but the chilly night air made her shiver. Wrapping her arms around herself, Emma wanted to go back inside. Looking at Sans and Papyrus made her change her mind. They both looked so happy that she didn’t want to ruin that. So she sucked it up for their sake.

Emma leaned against the railing and watched the moonlight dance across the dark water. She was trying to distract herself from how cold she was feeling and held herself as still as possible in the hopes that the brothers wouldn’t noticed. Still, her body betrayed her by shivering again.

Emma was beginning to feel defeated by her own efforts when something heavy and warm was draped across her shoulders. She looked back to see Papyrus placing his jacket on her shoulders.

“YOU LOOKED A LITTLE…CHILLED TO THE BONE. NYEH HEH HEH!” Emma was left staring at Papyrus as she gripped the jacket around her shoulders. She chuckled softly and Papyrus looked very proud of himself.

“good one bro!” Sans was giving his brother two thumbs up. This only made Papyrus even happier. Emma appreciated the gesture but began to feel a little uncomfortable taking his jacket from him.

“Um Paps, I can’t take your jacket. Wont you get cold too?” Emma began to slide the jacket off her shoulders when Papyrus reached down and pulled it back up. He shook his skull and gave her a look that said “silly human”.

“it’s ok kid. we’re skeletons. we don’t have skin, so we don’t feel the cold as badly as you do. the cold air… **just goes right through us.** ” Sans winked and did a funny finger guns motions that caused Emma to laugh and Papyrus to groan. They spent a few more minutes admiring the night sky before deciding it was getting late and head back inside.

Emma let out a sigh of relief as a blast of warm air hit her face. She shrugged off Papyrus’ jacket and handed back to him. She thanked him and they headed for the elevators. They chatted a little more on the way there. The brothers waited for an elevator for Emma then bid her a good night.

As Emma made her way to her room, she thought about everything that happened tonight. She never thought she’d have this much fun on her own, with a bunch of monsters, and found herself wondering what tomorrow will bring. She smiled. Either way, it was going to be interesting with her new friends around.


End file.
